Lufthansa is allowing passengers of any airline to use its lounges. This sees the airline opening the doors to its lounges around the world. The catch is that passengers will have to pay for the privilege of using the lounges, with the airline's most exclusive lounges clocking in at €149 ($177).

Airline lounges are typically limited to those who are flying in the airline's premium cabins or those with frequent flyer status. However, around the world, many airports have pay-per-use lounges, with schemes like Priority Pass offering membership plans for such lounges. In what is perhaps a bid to explore additional revenue streams, Lufthansa is selling access to its lounges around the world.

Varying lounge prices

Lufthansa's lounges were designed with the airline's frequent and premium flyers in mind. As spotted by One Mile At A Time, the airline has begun selling access to the lounge for those not eligible. This could be for one-time Lufthansa economy fliers or even Ryanair passengers. According to the airline's lounge booking portal,

"Access to the lounge is restricted to the date on the booking confirmation and demands a valid boarding pass for the same day from any airline."

Lufthansa, Lounges, Paid Access
Lounges are available at airports across the world. Photo: Mark Huss - Lufthansa

It seems as though any lounge operated by Lufthansa is included in the offering. The cheapest lounge appears to be Lufthansa Business Lounge in Newark Liberty International, priced at just $29 (€24). Most airports have just one lounge on offer. This is not the case at the airline's Frankfurt stronghold, where a total of six lounges are on offer,

  • Lufthansa Business Lounge A26
  • Lufthansa Business Lounge A13
  • Lufthansa Lounge A
  • Lufthansa Lounge Z
  • Lufthansa Lounge B
  • Lufthansa First Class Lounge A13

In Frankfurt, each of the lounges is priced at €39 ($46), except for the first class lounge, priced at €149.

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A word of warning

Lufthansa reopened its Frankfurt first class Lounge at the start of the month. However, as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to drag on, potential passengers should note that it won't be business as usual in the lounges.

Lufthansa, Lounges, Paid Access
Lounges are operating with a reduced service due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19. Photo: Lufthansa

Sticking with the first class Lounge example, the airline warns that it is currently only offering a "high-quality take-away offer" of food and drinks. Á la carte dining will only be resumed once local regulations allow it, although this could be pretty soon as Frankfurt's restaurants have been able to open their doors with some restrictions since June 7th.

The airline is enforcing social distancing and mask-wearing within its Frankfurt lounges. In addition, passengers wishing to use the lounges must show a negative COVID-19 test or proof of full vaccination/recovery from COVID-19 to access the facility. As most destinations will require such evidence to permit travel, this shouldn't be an issue for passengers.

Would you pay to use one of Lufthansa's lounges while traveling? Let us know what you think and why in the comments below!